Awkward
by Sabayon
Summary: Chase's not the only one to be attacked for his participation in the Streets...H/C, ow, slight Chase/Moose. All reviews appreciated.
1. Rain

It had been an ordinary night at the Dragon up till now. On a seemingly permanent high the crew had been celebrating their one-week anniversary of the Streets victory. It was nearly the next day- people had joined the party at various stages but dwindled as the hours passed. Chase'd been left with Andie- and Moose. He snorted in frustration, recalling the boy's obvious inability to see he was a glaring third wheel in the trio. Sure, he was good friends with Andie but his friendship with Chase was a bit awkward- and they had things they'd much rather be doing than talking to him.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

After far too long, Moose decided to go home after copious bouts of yawning. Silently cheering, Chase and Andie barely waited until he was at the door before beginning an extended make-out session. Chase's general feeling of aroused triumph was flattened when, not 5 minutes later, a text from Sarah informed Andie she was outside and waiting in the car. A medley of kisses and rolled eyes later, Chase was shivering through the rain outside, glad he lived close to the restaurant. There weren't many people out- a few girls spilling from the red glow of the Dragon and several figures looking down at something a few dozen feet in front. As he got closer, Chase realized it was another person. One of the boys drove his foot into the fallen person's ribs, gratified by the choked gasp and laughter of his companions. Chase broke into a jog.

"Hey- clear off, alright? Just let him go." Chase said.

"Who the fuck are you? You better clear out or we'll bash you too!" one said.

Chase's temper rose, and he stopped a few feet from the boys. He was ready to lash out but didn't need to- the eldest boy swore violently and hissed to the other:

"Let's go, come on, it's that MSA guy. Tuck's going to shred us if we do him!" After a moment of icy glares (Chase was unsure why they hadn't resorted to blows yet) among the increasing rainfall, the three turned and skittered to a double-parked car, before roaring off through the night.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Still confused over his sudden influence over the attackers, Chase grimaced down at the boy crumpled on the ground with a growing feeling of horror. Not just some drunken hobo- he grabbed the sodden shoulder and hauled him half-upright to squint at the face in the drenching rain. Something cold stabbed and held deep in Chase's chest- there was dark blood running down from scrapes and they were in a dark puddle the street lamp didn't shed its feeble light on but he could still easily recognise the other. It was Moose.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

As worry and slight panic set in, Chase's inner critic cursed the rain, those fucked-up kids, Moose, himself- what a stupid thing to get mixed up in on Saturday night when your chief desire is imminent sleep.

"Moose? ..hey, Moose!? Come on, talk to me."

Moose managed a bloody slur that sounded vaguely like 'Chase..?' He was sagging against Chase and sustaining a conversation seemed beyond him. Chase chewed on his lip. There was no way he wanted to call an ambulance and have to sit for hours into dawn waiting under horrible fluorescents.

"Hey, Moose, I'm going to call your parents- do you still have your phone?" Moose emitted a slight snort. "Don't bother... they're away..overseas." It was getting harder to talk- both because Moose was lapsing in and out of lucidity and because the rain was so heavy it hefted a stinging, cold weight on Chase's back. It was far heavier than at their victory a week ago- Chase was soaked and numb (he could only imagine how Moose must have felt).

"Okay...shit. I'll take you back to my place for a while." Chase said. A gingerly executed piggyback hoist ensued as he had no idea how beat up Moose was and didn't want to aggravate any breaks. When Chase finally had a secure grip under Moose's knees and was moderately confident the other wouldn't just slide off backwards, he set off for his house. Moose was muttering drifting apologies and profanities in equal quantity into Chase's right ear and he occasionally stopped in breaks of silence that gave Chase shudders, but the trip wasn't hellish- Moose couldn't have weighed more than Andie.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

It was a struggle to open the door with Moose on his back but they finally entered, creating a large puddle in the hall. It wasn't worth going into long explanations with his parents now, so Chase crept heavily past their ajar door to his own room. After all the trouble he'd caused, Chase was tempted to dump Moose onto the wooden floor, but obeyed his better instincts and deposited the boy on his bed. Flicking the light on, he permitted himself a worried look over Moose. He made eye contact with the other (intensely awkward), who the light seemed to have dragged back into awareness. "Sorry...they came out of nowhere, man." Moose said. He was soaked, bloody and looked completely wretched. Chase sighed. What, at 2 am, was he going to do with Moose?


	2. Recuperation

Chase gave a well-earned sigh as he stared at Moose. He was looking back, albeit with a disconnected, shell-shocked kind of gaze. Priorities. He needed to sort out his priorities. Chase sometimes had trouble with this. His mental list had been fairly simple so far- dance, Andie, dealing with Blake, dealing with his fangirls, chores at home and so on. Tonight was rather different and thus confusing for Chase- Moose needed a generous handful of bandaids at the least, they both needed showers, and wrack his brain as he might, Chase couldn't honestly remember where the spare mattress was kept. Moose wasn't going to be much use as a decision maker, either- he'd relapsed back into an expression of glazed pain.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Well, there was no point in putting bandaids on that were going to be peeled off in the shower, was there? It took Chase's fatigue-addled brain a few moments to rewrite his list of things to do.

"Did you- they break anything?" Chase said.

"..Dunno..guess not." Moose said.

"Okay…you need a shower." Chase said. Moose wobbled to his feet and Chase led him down the hall to the bathroom, taking surreptitious glances behind him to make sure the other boy wasn't falling over or smacking his head on the staircase banister. He sort of wanted to hold onto Moose but he was painfully aware of how male pride stung after a fall. With the bathroom door fully shut and locked behind them, Chase realized there was no way Moose was capable of even unbuttoning his shirt, let alone showering without just slumping to the floor. He began the excruciatingly awkward task of taking Moose's clothes off (the only time, he swore, he would ever be caught unzipping another guy's fly). Moose looked even worse in just his boxers (Chase was not going to go any further. He had serious limits).

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Not physically worse- Moose was as toned as Chase even if a fair bit scrawnier- but the damage review was uglier. The blood seemed confined to his face and neck, probably a scalp graze, but the precursors to bruises showed livid blotches scattered over his stomach and ribcage. Chase noted with a wince that Moose's hands and knees were scraped and raw. Chase's only consolation was that Moose seemed semi-oblivious to Chase and his own predicament, despite the numerous winces emitted during his undressing. When Tuck, that bastard, had bashed Chase with the help of his stupid goons, Chase'd been let off at the terrible point of feeling all the pain without any of the mental numbness Moose seemed to be experiencing. Comparatively lucky, for now. Chase quickly pulled off most of his own soaked clothing and pulled Moose into the shower more roughly than he'd intended. He knew his face was pink, if not red by now, and desperately wanted someone else here to help him with Moose (Andie came to mind, then the likely scene of her watching two near-naked guys in the shower also came to mind and seemed strangely hot, if only in a toe-curlingly taboo manner).

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Chase fumbled with the soap for what seemed an eternity and began to nervously wipe the blood off Moose's forehead. Moose made a sharp gasping sound when Chase brushed the sodden black curls back from his face. Abandoning his rather mixed and burning emotions, Chase leaned in to see a shallow gash running an inch or two through the hair back from Moose's temple. It didn't seem to be bleeding any more, but Chase pushed Moose a little more out of the stinging spray from the showerhead- that had to hurt. He continued down, wiping dirt and blood off the other's chest.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Chase's breath hitched slightly- embarrassment was his most prominent emotion but the close contact with Moose was almost arousing. It didn't help that Moose really did have a nice body- too many ribs but enough muscle to, well, look pretty… Chase forbade himself from thinking 'hot'. Moose startled him out of his musings by trying to scrub at one arm with his hand but gave up with a quiet "Ow! … sorry, Chase." He looked ruefully amused and Chase ducked his head to avoid eye contact, accidentally whacking Moose's on the way down.

"Ow- sorry." Chase said.

"…Dude, I'm already beaten up… don't need you helping." Moose replied with a weary snort. Chase restrained himself from laughing but eventually let out a chuckle.

Several minutes later, feeling far more humane after the hot water, Chase got the first aid kit and tugged a towel-draped Moose back to his room. Both sitting on the bed, a tired silence ensued as Chase peeled bandaids and stuck them on Moose's knees, elbows and collarbone, pale and protruding shoulder blade. Numerous white bandaid stickers drifted to the floor. He inexpertly wound a bandage around Moose's palm and in between his fingers, avoiding his dark eyes out of focus behind the battered hand. Moose's hair was still dripping, so Chase grabbed his towel and rubbed it vigorously.

"Ah!- watch the cut." Moose said quickly.

"Oh, shit, oops. Sorry. Sorry…" Chase said. Inexplicably he began to laugh at the ridiculous situation they were in. Moose was laughing quietly too, and Chase caught a look at his face as he dropped the towel. Wow, that was… a surprisingly cute face, dark eyes and bright lips grinning against his pale skin. Chase tried to cover up his staring but he didn't think Moose had noticed anyway.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"So- are you sure you're okay? Ribs?" Chase said, having noticed a lot of silent grimacing as he was scrubbing Moose's stomach with the wash cloth.

"Some of the ones on this side are cracked, I think, but basically I'm fine." Moose said. Chase nodded and swung his legs off the bed to cross to his cupboard. He threw Moose a T-shirt and pulled another one on himself. It was too big, obviously, on Moose but there wasn't anything smaller. Chase motioned Moose to get into his bed. "Hope you don't mind sharing. I'll be a sec, I just need to take this stuff back to the bathroom." Moose simply nodded and got under the doona.

By the time Chase returned, he was asleep, looking pained and far smaller than he did awake. After another heartfelt sigh (he'd sighed more tonight than he had in the last fortnight), Chase clambered over Moose to get in the other side of the bed after switching off the light. Not that he was going to sleep any time soon.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Well, that concludes chapter 2- one or two more to come, I think. If you're reading this, I'd love feedback and critiques. I'm beginning to wonder why I wrote this but if you want to read more, shower me with love so I don't forget about updating!


	3. Morning

The sky outside his window was changing slowly with the fuzzy greyness of pre-dawn by the time Chase slept. He didn't know what to think of himself-or Moose- after what had happened. The rescue, of sorts, hadn't been worrying him- it was the bizarre and frankly off-limits emotions that had begun in the shower earlier in the night. It was all too similar to his reaction when in (very) close contact with Andie and he'd rather follow Blake's finicky orders for a year than tell anyone. Chase cast a glance across at Moose. They were close enough that he could make out the lines of individual eyelashes despite the darkness. Moose had rolled over and now lay curled with one hand brushing Chase's stomach (Chase carefully pushed it back to its owner). After a few moments of distinct uncomfortableness Chase drifted off to uneasy sleep.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The bright and very irritating sunrays from the window prodded Chase out of sleep. With a quiet groan he sat up and fumbled for his alarm clock. 9:27. Not nearly enough but his parents always came in at 10 to shake him if he wasn't up and out by then. Moose was still asleep so Chase slumped against the wall and groggily surveyed the sun playing across Moose's black hair and the curve of pale neck visible. He could just slide down and go back to sleep like this…

Chase awoke with a jolt as something just-brushed against his neck. He managed to keep his eyes shut as he tentatively recognised various parts of his body touching…various parts of Moose's. He tensed as the hand made contact with his neck again, but then Moose was still. After a minute or two of confirming he was still asleep, Chase opened his eyes. Black curls, centre field. His left arm was around Moose's waist. Moose himself was against his chest with his arms defensively near his head (so that was what had been tickling him- Moose's fingertips just touched Chase's collarbone as it shifted during breath.) Chase realized Moose had unintentionally slipped one knee between Chase's thighs. The whole embrace was very…close and Chase became very very glad Moose was not conscious. He carefully untangled himself and got out of bed. Oh. He _really _needed a cold shower.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

After 10 minutes of showering (and _'showering'_: Chase was fiercely determined to forget all about it), Chase was dressed and impatient for Moose to wake up. He'd greeted his parents at breakfast but wanted to be able to leave quickly in an un-noticed moment. It just wasn't worth getting into all the questions. Chase leant over the bed and gave Moose a careful shake. After a few minutes of it Moose blinked slowly and attempted to stretch like a cat (one with several pulled tendons, Chase thought, as he witnessed the winces). Moose made eye contact with Chase blearily.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"…hey."

Chase managed a grin. "Hey! Get up- I'm taking you to a friend's place for a check up." Moose shrugged and swung his feet to the floor. After several careful inhalations he stood up.

"Um- are your ribs okay? Can you walk?" Chase said. Moose nodded and rubbed his eyes. "I have no dry clothes." He said. Chase frowned and rummaged through his drawers. There was a small pair of cargo pants- where did he get them from? No way they fit…Chase gulped as he realized they were Andie's. Wow… Chase offered them to Moose, hoping the other wouldn't notice they came from Sportsgirl. After a confused expression about Chase's red face, Moose put them on.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The friend in question was a nice girl studying medicine Chase had met at MSA several years earlier. He'd gone to her for this once before, when Tuck had smashed his ribs in so hard Chase knew two were broken. She was smart and didn't feel the need to either swoon over Chase or gossip about his injuries to anyone. It was evident she found Moose attractive, though. Chase snorted at her younger-male preferences and dragged over a stool to sit on. Moose was perched on another one, and the girl busied around him, dabbing at the gash in his hair with antiseptic. Chase's view was fairly gruesome- green-black spilled across Moose's shoulders and down to the small of his back. Moose had pulled off the large t-shirt with difficulty and was now shivering in Chase's (wait, Andie's) pants. The silence was broken by a sad proclamation from the girl. "Yeah, you've broken 2 ribs on the left and one anterior on the right." She pointed out the broken bone, a blotchy lump in the skin on Moose's side, to Chase.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

He unthinkingly trailed his hand over the area and Moose jerked away from him. "Crap-sorry, did I hurt you?" Chase said. Moose flicked his head away from Chase and denied it. The girl watched them both with an amused gaze before packing up her medical kit and giving Chase a reassuring smile. "They're small breaks and they'll heal by themselves- but no dancing for at least two weeks, okay?" She said to Moose. Chase thanked her and handed Moose his shirt. As he turned to get it, Moose suddenly flushed pink (the cuteness was only compounded by the way she'd pinned his hair back to get to the cut) and all but snatched the shirt from Chase before hurriedly tugging it on. Chase was confused and cast a glance at the girl, but she was smirking at them both. He sighed and followed Moose out to his car.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Heh- feel the awkward sexual tension rising! Chase needs to do some inner searching-Is he straight? Is he gay? Is Moose? This chapter took ages but it was fun to write. There should be one more, I think. Thanks to every reviewer!! Maybe this'll open a magical gateway to slash fiction in the Step Up fandom…we can only hope.

Your reviews mean a lot to me! Thank you!


	4. Resolution!

Chase had decided the best course of action would be to head back to Moose's house, at least for today. He had been wondering what to do for Moose in the long term- the prospect of the other boy alone without his parents, with those broken ribs- Chase's imagination performed several elaborate situations of Moose tripping down the stairs, hitting his side on a counter, lying on the floor with a flail chest and the phone just out of reach- disturbed, he stopped the thoughts. When did he get so paranoid (and imaginative)? He extracted the directions from Moose, who looked miserable again- his breathing must have been painful- and began the journey through the Baltimore traffic.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

At the front door, Moose swore quietly.

"I left my keys at your place. Sorry." Chase grinned and produced said keys from his pocket.

"Borrowed, and- not really copied." Moose snorted in amusement at the rather bad joke and unlocked the door. Chase had had the good sense to fish them out of Moose's sodden jeans before leaving that morning. He trailed Moose down the dark hallway.

"Hey, I'll make sandwiches. Just crash anywhere, yeah?" Moose said, disappearing into the kitchen. Chase followed him for lack of other obvious options. "Yeah, sure." It was 12:45 already- his friend really had taken her time feeling up Moose.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"D'you mind if I call Andie over? I sent her a message earlier, but she's kinda worried." Chase said. Tricky point- Moose looked tense for a second but then grinned. "Sure thing." Chase noted with strange satisfaction that Moose felt no need to inform Sophie of anything that had happened. Wandering back into the hall, he quietly asked her to come over. Andie agreed that Moose shouldn't be left alone, confirming Chase's thoughts and solidifying his resolve. Attempting to appear casual, he leant over the central bench where Moose had laid out bread and butter (he was currently hunting through the fridge for sandwich fillings). Chase cleared his throat self-consciously.

"Hey, Moose- would you mind if I stayed over for a few days? Blake'll be visiting my parents for a while and you know he annoys the crap out of me…" Chase trailed off. It was a transparent excuse and they both knew it, but Moose turned around from the fridge clutching jars and bottles and fixed Chase with a curiously ambiguous look. With a sudden blush he smiled uncertainly and nodded.

"Yeah- sure, okay. We have a trundle bed so you can stay… thanks." Chase grinned and made his way to the couch in the living room, digging the TV remote out of the cushions. It was more of an escape from Moose than a desire to catch up on lunchtime soaps but Chase was honestly pleased Moose had let him stay. A few minutes later, Moose gingerly sat down next to him, trying not to aggravate his broken ribs, and passed Chase a plate of sandwiches. Peanut butter…and strawberry jam. Chase sniggered.

"Sugar nut," Chase said. "This is all you eat at school, too." Moose shrugged and smiled, mouth full.

When they'd finished with lunch, a comfortable silence descended as they watched television. Chase noticed with some surprise that Moose's head was nodding towards his shoulder and back in the manner of someone trying not to fall asleep- he had no idea injuries demanded so much sleep to heal- but eventually began yawning himself.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Andie let herself in with a quiet "Hey-." When no reply came she followed the sound of the TV down to the living room. An affectionate smile crept up on her face as she saw Chase and Moose. Slumped together on the couch, Chase snored over Moose's head and Moose drooled onto Chase's shoulder. After a moment of surprise- when did those two get so close?- she got out her cameraphone.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

That's it, dear readers!! Although I was intending to tie this story off, the last chapter really leaves itself open for more amusingly awkward escapades between Chase and Moose- anyone up to write a sequel?

Thanks for all your reviews- and special thanks to Lauraisace, Ayrtha21, Jace Astar and last but definitely not least- CurlySweet. That someone would write not just one review but 2 or 3 is really motivating.

Ciao babies!


End file.
